Chapter 171: Charitable bloodline

Inside the carriage, the living room was full of people. Three days had passed since the start of their journey and the sky was now clear. New mas looking out the window while Masamune was reading a book. He had borrowed the deception of life and death from Halekuwait.

As the name implied it was a book of life and death. The magic to deceive life was death magic and Masamune believed that the magic to save Toa would be hidden in how to taunt death. Since Masamune had found the book he would sit down to read it whenever he had time but he didnt seem to be able to understand it at all.

He somehow managed to understand one theory but Masamune didnt know if as a healer he could even use the magic.

Hey Nito, what are you reading?

Toa looked at the book that Masamune was trying to read with interest.

This? Its a book about attack magic that even a healer can use.

Masamune was a little shy when he answered.

Is there any?

I guess.

After that Toa seemed to lose interest. Masamune had told Toa that he was looking for such magic but this book was not about that magic.

Healer? Did you just say healer?

Schneiser who was sitting on the couch opposite them seemed surprised.

Yeah, you didnt know? Im a healer.

Schneiser seemed to want to apologize for being surprised.

No, its just that I have heard many people lie about their jobs. I thought thats what you were doing as well.

After he gave his answer Schneiser tried to change his story.

Come to think of it, Why does Nito always wear a mask?

I just dont remove it often.

Often? Does that mean that you can take it off?

He seemed to be suspicious because of what Nito had said at the inquisition. Masamune had lied because he knew who was watching. But he decided that he didnt need to hide it from Schneiser any longer.

That was a lie.

I see..

Schneiser seemed to understand.

In that case I wont hesitate to say that you should take it off.

Why?

That mask is now a symbol the represents you. Looking at it no one wouldnt know who you are. Since the curse is a lie it would be better for you not to wear it, at least while you are in Dams Arden. It will help you avoid trouble.

Masamune hid his face and went by a different name in order to avoid trouble in the first place. But now Schneiser was telling him that using the mask and that name would cause his trouble but what exactly did he mean by that?

But..Why?

Masamune asked again.

It will cause an uproar.

Masamune looked surprised. He had been in school so he wasnt able to see what had been going on in the world and didnt realize that he was so recognizable. He knew that magical communication was a booming business so its possible that he was famous is Dams Arden as well. So he decided to change it back to the earring.

Is this okay?

Although this wasnt unusual for his companions because he usually took his mask of in their dorm.

.

Hmm?

Schneiser had opened his eyes wide in surprise.

Y..oure a child.

What?

What a rude king, Masamune was pretty sure that his face could not be considered a baby face.

FuHahahahahahaha!

Schneiser suddenly started laughing

What?

Schneiser replied still laughing.

Nothing, I just never thought that the hero Nito would be a young boy!

Well if youre going to call me a kid shouldnt you at least act like an adult?

Youre cheeky, but I shall keep that in mind as king.

Masamune thought that he was a strange king. He didnt get mad even when a commoner was rude to him.

Youre a lot like Arnold.

Arnold? The king of Razhousen?

Oh you know him?

There are many people that go by Arnold but Schneiser knew who he was talking about instantly.

Its a well known fact that you became a hero in that country. Why wouldnt I know?

Oh, right

As the two of them were talking the carriage suddenly came to a stop.

Whats going on?

Weve arrived.

Were already at Dams Arden?

No it will take a few more days before we reach Dams Arden. This is Lagoo.

Lagoo?

You dont know it? This place it a very convenient resting place for both humans and their horses.

Convenient huh?

On their journey to Dams Arden if they didnt stop by Lagoo then there would be no other place to rest along the way. When the carriage door opened Masamune and his friends stepped out.

Schneiser couldnt just go walking around since he was king but Masamune and the others casually left the carriage along with Francesca and Dolly. They entered the town looking for a restaurant.

Even though it was seen as a rest stop for those who were traveling it was a rather quiet town. Most of the road in the town were dirt so it seemed as though the town was rather poor as well.

Masamune wasnt wearing a mask currently and was pretty confident that no one would recognize him as Nito. He was using the skill that he stole from Kyogoku to set his magical power level to 10, meaning that right now he was nothing but a weak healer.

Cave king bar.

When they entered the bar they saw that it was already quite crowded. After they took their seats they ordered drinks and food.

So the scoop youre looking for is me becoming a great mage?

Francescas goal was to ask Masamune about his feelings towards becoming a great mage. And now Masamune was asking about it.

Of course! The hero Nito becoming a great mage! Of course its a scoop!

But, does becoming a great mage actually have any merit?

Uhm, Honor?

Honor?

Isnt being a hero enough honor for one person?

Well it shouldnt cause you any trouble at the very least so its fine right?

Nito, where do you plan to go after Dams Arden? Are you still planning to go to the demon country?

Toa asked. They were originally supposed to go to the demon country before Schneiser had suggested that they go to Dams Arden.

Uhm, probably? You dont want to?

Its not that.

Toa seemed reluctant to return, Masamune could tell but because of what happened recently he didnt ask about it. Hes been hesitant to pry into Toas affairs recently because of the incident. He knew that at some point he would need to know but timing was important.

Dont worry Im not going to try and push you guys away anymore. The final decision on whether we stay together or not will be made by you three.

When he said the Nem smiled and began to chomp down on the meat in front of her. If Masamune had abandoned her the only option she had was to return to Razhousen.

I want to be with you forever.

Sufilia was the same as ever. Even Masamune didnt know if she had just sworn fealty to him or liked him. Masamune had thought of many different options when thinking about what was best for them. One of them was dissolving the party, although it wasnt like he had actually applied to form a party with them at an adventurers guild.

Masamune and the others continued to eat and drink. The bar had its old in house brew that tasted different from any other alcohol that hed had in the past. As he was thinking this he heard an interesting conversation nearby and listened in as he continued to drink.

Can you believe that happened to the country?

I know, it seemed to have disappeared over night.

What do you mean disappeared? Are all the people gone?

Thats not what I mean. Its not that the people just left, its like there was nothing there to begin with. Its just vacant land now.

Are you sure you just didnt make a mistake as to where it was?

I thought so too at first but that doesnt seem to be the case.

..Seriously?

..Yeah, Cattleya is gone.

.

The people next to them seemed to be having fun drinking and indulging in the rumors while Masamune and the others were a little interested in what they had to say as well.

Whats Cattleya?

Toa asked quietly and it seemed as though Francesca knew something.

It was a small country where a new king was crowned just recently. It had been doing wrong for a long time, it didnt form an alliance with anyone and even allowed slavery. In fact it encouraged it.

Slavery? Seriously?

Toa had a bad feeling.

Yeah you can already tell what kind of country it is right? The slaves were mainly beastmen.

Nems fork froze with meat still stuck on the end of it. However she continued eating again after Nito patted her head. Apparently it had also been a topic also been mention in magical communication.

Around that time the barkeep appeared with steak and alcohol that they hadnt ordered.

Do you mind sir?

It was a dwarf.

The dwarf had a charming smile on his face as he spoke to them.

Hmm?

The store was mainly run by dwarves although some of the staff were from various beast tribes as well.

If you would like, please eat and drink this.

The dwarf put the stak down on the table along with a bottle of whiskey.

Is this really okay?

Masamune asked.

Yes, Its a free service!

The dwarf replied with a smile before he left, but he didnt forget to give everyone a glass for their whiskey as well. Masamune was very pleased by this and was the first one to pour the whiskey into a glass and taste it.

Oh, its good.

Since coming to this world Masamune had learned to drink. After being in the dungeon and with all the stress that he had felt Alcohol was no longer something he could be without. The moment he took a sip he was just waiting for the relief that it would bring him.

Nito?

Toa asked.

Hmm? What?

Not what. Are you sure this is okay? We didnt ask for it.

Toa was skeptical of the service they had provided as it seemed a little excessive.

Its fine the alcohol isnt poison. Besides wouldnt the alcohol counteract any poison?

That was a complete guess.

They called it a service didnt they? We shouldnt spoil it.

What service?

Theyre probably just trying to spoil the guests their getting for the first time. I dont know?

Masamune poured another glass of whiskey without hesitation. Besides if he started to get too drunk he could always purge it via magic. Toa wasnt the only one who was making a face at that but both Francesca and Dolly as well. They knew that because it was a town that drifters often came too that it wasnt exactly safe. However Masamune was just pouring the whiskey in a calm manner.

Nito, you shouldnt put things in your mouth if you dont know why they were given to you.

Nito downed another glass of whiskey as it to say see, Im fine.

Its fine see? Nem do you want this steak?

Yes!

It might be rude to the owner of the establishment but Nito had done a taste test to check for poison.

Hahahahahaha! Nem sure does like to eat!

Nem smiled widely as she bit into the steak.

I wish I was a beastman so that I could eat as much meat as Nem does.

Everyone looked at Nito when he said that.

Being a human is really boring.

Nito?

.Hmm?

Masamune suddenly regretted saying what he did.

Dont worry about it, its nothing.

Masmune answered calmly and poured more whiskey.

After finishing their meal they all left the store and walked around the town. However there was nothing much to see.

He was a very generous dwarf wasnt he?

In the end Masamune had drank the whiskey with Francesca against Toas complaints. Sufilia hadnt drank as she seemed to prefer wine and Dolly didnt drink because he said that it would cause his camera to shake if he needed to take any photos.

Should we head back to the carriage?

Yeah.

Everyone seemed to share the same sentiment as Masamune since there wasnt much to see in the town anyway.

Huh?

At that time the heard cheers coming from a corner of the town. They all figured it could be nothing good.

Thats coming from the town square right?

Francesca asked.

Francesca should we go?

It seemed that as a reporter Dollys blood was boiling.

Yeah Yeah lets go!

Nito, should we go too?

Huh?

For some reason Toa seemed to be enthusiastic but Masamune just thought that it was troublesome.

Uh.Sure..

But he couldnt rightly refuse a request from Toa. Schneiser would probably forgive them for this little detour anyway.

The clock tower was positioned in the middle of the town and everyone who came to this town always ended up here looking up at it for some reason.

Jump!

Hurry up and jump!

Stop stalling!

If you didnt have the balls then you shouldnt have climbed up there!

Coward!

Bitch!

A crowd had gathered around the tower and a woman could be seen on top. She looked decent but was dressed in a dirty white dress. She probably had climbed up there to commit suicide but was frozen in fear.

Nito, that

Toa looked uneasy as she pointed her finger at the woman.

Its probably suicide.

Even if you dont have experience trying to commit suicide what the woman was trying to do was clear as day.

Thats not a very good hobby.

Francescas face had distorted in disgust.

What do you mean hobby? Theyre just rubberneckers, isnt it always like this?

Everyone was only interested because it didnt involve them.

Oi! Hurry up and jump!

It his heart Masamune thought that the people here were better than the ones who pretended to care about someone they didnt know. At least they were honest.

How profane. They dont want to be killed but they find others dying interesting.

Masamune smiled when he heard this.

Should I kill them then?

No, it wouldnt be fun killing thesethings. Besides I dont feel like it right now.

It was a joke. But Sufilia had replied while putting emphasis on the whole thing part of it. Masamunes eyes were growing more and more lifeless as he watched this crowd of people. But for some reason the noise suddenly stopped.

Thats

Someone appeared in Francescas line of sight.

Lord Ankh.

Lord Ankh!

The god of life!

Long live Lord Ankh!

Suddenly no one was looking at the clock tower any longer. The person who had appeared in front of them was dressed in a white cloak and on his face we wore a mask that looked like a cross between a beast and a human skull. Underneath white armor could be seen with a snake engraving on it. However the cloak seemed to make it difficult to see and no matter what angle you looked at him from he looked to be completely white.

The charitable bloodline

Francesca seemed fascinated.

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